


Sweet As Cherry Wine

by florianschild



Category: The Queen's Thief - Megan Whalen Turner
Genre: Dubious Consent, Gaslighting, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M, Power Dynamics, Power Imbalance, Pre-Canon, Slavery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-10
Updated: 2019-02-10
Packaged: 2019-10-25 10:38:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17723597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/florianschild/pseuds/florianschild
Summary: A moment during Kamet’s time with Nahuseresh. When you hear the same lies enough times, they start to seem an awful lot like truth.





	Sweet As Cherry Wine

**Author's Note:**

  * For [within_a_dream](https://archiveofourown.org/users/within_a_dream/gifts).



> The title comes from the Hozier song called Cherry Wine.
> 
> within_a_dream, thank you for the lovely prompts! I hope you appreciate a bit of unapologetic angst for Kamet.

“Pour the wine. Then we have letters to write.”

 

Kamet leaned back onto his heels, gritting his teeth as the fabric of his softest tunic brushed against his back. It felt like a thorn bush against his skin. Every part of him felt swollen and puffy; even the soles of his feet throbbed as he crouched before Nahuseresh in a position that on any other day would be as familiar and comfortable as perching on the stool before his writing desk.

 

He pushed himself to his feet, taking every care to let neither expression nor hesitation of movement betray the pain that lanced him as his back flexed. Nahuseresh despised any indication of discomfort in his slaves. A sign of poor training and a wasted investment. He crossed the chamber to the table where the wine jug rested, wiping surreptitiously at his lip only after his back was fully turned to his master. He heard the rustle of fabric behind him as Nahuseresh settled his clothing back into place. Reaching for the wine jug, Kamet noticed that his hand shook slightly before his fingers closed around the handle. The bright red color of the wine as it splashed into the cup seemed to turn his stomach as it never had before. He let himself breath deeply, drawing in the frayed edges of his nerves.

 

“I’m not cross with you any longer.” Nahuseresh’s soft voice next to his ear made Kamet shiver. He hadn’t heard a sound as his master crossed the room. A hand curled around the back of his neck, fingering absently at the spot where the lash had curled around and bitten into the skin of his throat. “You mustn’t be surly.”

 

The sickening sensation of Nahuseresh’s nail against the wound gagged him, but he forced his gorge down. Kamet gave a moment’s thought to his reply. What Nahuseresh has taken for surliness had probably been his vain attempts at stifling the pain in his back. It had never entered his mind to feel surly about what his master had ordered done, but he had been quiet and tense since he had risen from his bed. Kamet considered; should he agree with Nahuseresh that he had been surly, thus admitting his own failing? Deny any surliness and risk sounding disingenuous. He decided to go with the safest option.

 

“Thank you, master. I will do better.”

 

Nahuseresh chuckled, his lips brushing Kamet’s earlobe and sending another shiver down him, reminding him how very wholly his master owned him. “Of that I’ve no doubt,” Nahuseresh said, his voice thick with promise.

 


End file.
